


Fifteen Years

by JCTheDawn



Category: Bleach
Genre: Angst, Dark Rukia, F/M, Hurt, Ichiruki, Major character death - Freeform, Monster - Freeform, Mourning, RenRuki is a side point, UlquiHime children, fifteen years, like major time lapse, time lapse, will add more as I continue the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-29 09:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8484856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JCTheDawn/pseuds/JCTheDawn
Summary: Ichigo died right in Rukia's arms. He died before her, but she cannot shake his memory. 15 years and she is engaged. A familiar face returns and Rukia's world comes crashing down. Old friends and painful memories are pulled to the surface as a mission unfolds, and Rukia must face the demons within and outside herself.





	1. Living Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on my Fanfiction.net account. This is a REWRITTEN version of that story. This story was not yet finished on there, but I'm hoping that once I rewrite it and bring it up to code with my current skill, I can finally muster the courage to finish it.

_ Kill. Death. Kill. Death. Blood. Hurt. Help. Blood. _

_. _

“Ichigo!” The scream broke through the gentle patter of the rain, reaching out to the orange haired teen, Ichigo Kurosaki. Even as the words reached him, his body fell heavily with a ‘thud!’ The enemy he had been previously fighting, a black and wretched looking creature, was disintegrating, crawling towards the fallen hero.

 

_ Help. Sorry. Death. Kill. Death. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. _

.

The woman screaming, Rukia, was sprinting towards him, slipping on the thick mud beneath her shoes. Her head hurt, and words were echoing in her head. There was confusion, but she had one goal. Reach him. Save him.

The monster recoiled, ceasing movement. Finally, it disappeared, leaving a pool of blood behind. Threat extinguished, Rukia fell to her knees beside Ichigo, reaching with trembling hands towards his face. “Ichigo…” She whispered this time, seeing the thick blood coated on his face.

“Ru...kia…” he moaned in pain, Blood was welling up from his mouth and dribbling from his parted lips. His eyes sought her out, landing on her face. His chest was heaving with effort as he tried to not choke on his blood. 

“Why did you do that? Why did you get in the way! It would have hit me! I could have done something!” Rukia scolded him in her misery, fighting back tears. “You should have… let me die…” Her hands clutched at his torn shirt, leaning over him.

“I’m n-not… going to die…” Ichigo forced a strained chuckle, which dissolved into coughing up more blood on his chest and her hands. Rukia stared in horror as her hands were dyed crimson, the rain doing little to wash the offensive substance away.

“How can you say that? Does this look like you’re going to be ok?” Rukia held up her hands accusingly at him. “This was my battle Ichigo! No amount of healing is going to help this!” She yelled, grabbing at the stump that was his right arm. “You are missing an arm! What you aren’t bleeding out from wounds is being coughed up!” She was too angry. She was getting too worked up.  _ You’re acting like a human _ , she reminded herself.

“For god’s s-sake stop yelling… it’s not l-like I could have… let you die ei-either…” He rasped. “No m-matter what I do… even in a sit-tuation like this… you’re st-still scolding me…” He coughed some more, pressing his face into the dirty knee of her hakama. Rukia bit back another retort, gritting her teeth. She couldn’t stop yelling, or she’d start…

“Nobody cares if I die you idiot… you’re the hope of both our worlds… What about your dad? Your sisters? Your friends... You’re leaving them all behind!”  _ You’re leaving me behind.  _ She added silently.

“You honestly think people wouldn’t care if you died?” Ichigo rose with a new found strength, fueled by a burst of anger. “What about your brother? Renji?” He fell forward into her, still trying to go even as he paused to breath. “What about me?” Rukia held her breath, listening intently. “I can’t bear to live without you.” Her sullied hands found his orange locks, flattened by the rain. She stroked soothingly, holding him to her smaller frame.

“All I’ve done is twist up your life. If I had died here to protect you, then that would have been my redemption. But this… I can never recover from this. This is all my fault. I’m so… sorry Ichigo.” Her resolve shattered, tears overflowing on the last line. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, the stench of blood overwhelming her senses. She could feel a broken rib poking at the tender skin in his beaten body. The stump of his arm moved as if to wrap around her, but instead just twitched uselessly against her body.

“You think you’ve ruined my life?” a breathy laugh passed against her neck. “You’ve given me a reason to live Rukia.” She moved him delicately to lay against her lap so she could look at his face properly again. Their eyes locked, neither aware of anything else going on around them. “You’ve given me courage like no one else has. You’re my best friend. Even in the darkest places, you light my world. You…. you stopped the rain.” With the hand he had left, he reached up to stroke her cheek. “I… I love you Rukia.” 

Ichigo couldn’t tell if the droplets on his face was the rain or Rukia’s tears. Sometimes he thought some were warmer than the others, but then again his body felt very cold at this point. She was holding onto him too tight. It hurt. It hurt so much. All of him did. But he wouldn’t tell her that. “I love you too Ichigo.” She answered after a few moments of sobbing uncontrollably. Ichigo had only seen her cry a few times. She wasn’t a crier. He was sorry he was responsible, but he still wouldn’t change what he did. If that monster had hit her instead of him, it would have been instant. They wouldn’t have even had this chance to say goodbye. No… it was much better if she lived instead of him.

“Good… at least I got to say that… before…” Rukia stiffened as his voice trailed off. His hand fell limply from her face. 

“Ichigo?” She sat up again, looking at him. His chest had stopped moving, and his eyes were still looking at her, but completely listless. A smile was frozen on his bloodied lips, and his skin was already chilled. “No…” She whined, gripping at his fallen hand. She held it back to her face. “No. No! No!” She threw her head back and wailed openly, her heart in a deep agony. He was gone.

“Ichigo!” She howled his name like a mantra, and it echoed in the endless rain.

 

\-  15 Years Later -

 

Rukia’s eyes flew open, and she started in her bed. She clutched at her chest, breathing  heavily. Her body was damp with sweat, and she looked at the mess she had made throughout the night. Her blanket was tangled in her legs, and her pillows were thrown across the floor. “Even after fifteen years… his memory still remains strong.” She sighed, eyes finding the picture next to her sister. The event held in the picture she remembered well. It was Ichigo’s graduation from high school. She had attended in the audience upon his family’s insistence. In the picture, his whole family surrounded him holding his diploma. Her father had sandwiched her between himself and the embarrassed graduate. All together, they looked like a real family. Even her.

A knock sounded at her door. “Rukia?” She quickly scrambled to get up, picking up her mess rapidly.

“Just a second Hanataro!” She called, flinging her sleep robes to the side and grabbing her uniform. She changed quickly and fumbled slightly with her sash.

“O-oh I’m just relaying a message. Mr. Abarai said that he’s waiting for you. You were supposed to meet for lunch to discuss the wedding plans half an hour ago.” The familiar voice came muffled through the door as Rukia hopped around. She brushed her hair and rolled her eyes to her alarm that was sleeping innocently by her bed. So much for that.

“I’ll be out in just a minute Hanatarou, thank you.” She responded to him, finishing up the last of her daily preparations. She walked out as if she hadn’t been asleep only minutes ago, giving a friendly smile to her visitor. “Let’s go.”

As she walked with Hanataro, Rukia got lost in thought.  _ This still doesn’t feel right.  _ She let out a silent sigh. She believed that when she said yes to Renji that all these thoughts, all these memories, would disappear. Well, she knew they wouldn’t disappear completely, but they wouldn’t plague her as deeply as before. Renji did make her happy. He was a good friend to her and was there when she needed him. When she said yes to going out with him, it was for selfish reasons. She wanted to get over what happened. Then it just felt comfortable with Renji. She didn’t anticipate however that it would grow as big as it had. When he popped the question, her brother, friends, everyone was supportive. She had an audience. What was she going to say? ‘No I’m still in love with a dead guy’? If she had mercy she would break it off, and she had meant to, many times. But as the day got closer it just seemed crueller, and she lost her nerve.

To make matters worse, the anniversary of his death was coming up. Which means the nightmares had become more frequent. She felt him behind her like a shadow, clinging to every step she took. Sometimes it was hard to breathe, and sometimes she could still smell the scent of his cologne. 

“There you are Rukia!” Renji greeted her from across the table he was sitting at. A mix of cut out pictures and sticky notes were littered on the table and she inwardly groaned. 

“I see you talked to my brother again.” She pointed out, sitting at the table. Byakuya was way to enthralled in the idea of her wedding. After Renji asked for his blessing he was almost suffocating in the manner he planted himself in on their decisions.

“Yeah. He told me to have you look at these dresses and also talk about the table decorations? I don’t know, you’re the girl, what do you think?” Renji pushed the options towards her, to which she shoved them to the side. 

“Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I have any more of an opinion about it. Can we just eat first? I haven’t eaten yet today.” She dismissed, picking up the menu. She looked over the options even though she already really knew what she wanted. She had been here before a few times. After her eyes wandered for a few minutes, she felt Renji’s burning into her skull. She tilted the menu down just enough to see his face. “What?”

“I really love how dedicated you are Rukia, but for once, I wish you would get at least some enjoyment out of planning our wedding.” Renji grumbled like a child.

“I’m sorry Renji. I’m not the kind of girl that likes looking over tedious things like what flowers to put into what vase. It’s just not that intriguing.” Rukia explained.

“You used to be.” The accusation was in the tone, underneath the words. Rukia flushed slightly, pulling the menu back up and holding her tongue. She had talked about how much fun she thought she would have planning a wedding. When they were younger, when she was happy, when-

When Ichigo was alive.

“Saying something is much different then doing something. Not nearly as fun as I thought.” She covered, and was saved by a waitress who noticed her entrance. They both ordered, Renji noticeably getting something small while Rukia got a good sized meal. Rukia knew Renji wasn’t stupid. She thinks a part of him deep down knows she still has Ichigo with her. He hints at it here and there, but it’s just that thing they never talked about. Renji avoided the subject of Ichigo all around, and Rukia knew better then to bring him up.

Having some pity for him, she did look over the options. The dresses were too conservative and fluffy for her taste, and she really could care less about the table decorum. She decided that lillies would be a good fit since they looked nice with the tablecloths. Renji seemed to perk up a bit as she engaged in the conversation, but Rukia found the entire ordeal mundane. 

When they finished their meals, Rukia stood up. “Ok Renji, I have to go now. A shinigami’s work is never done.” She brushed off her uniform and secured her zanpaktou back to her waist. Renji stood up to say goodbye to her, holding out his arms. 

“Well I won’t keep you then.” She went into the arms a bit hesitantly, and he embraced her a bit too enthusiastically. Rukia felt awkward as they stood there in the middle of the restaurant. She felt like people were staring. 

She pulled back quickly. “Alright, alright. Thank you for lunch Renji. I will see you later.” She turned away from him, taking her leave.

“Bye Rukia. Think about the dress!” Renji called after her, but she just waved at him without even looking back. Rukia headed toward her post at squad thirteen. She was the lieutenant now, having accepted the promotion after everything that happened. She had even been offered a spot as a captain, but that was too much responsibility for someone as broken as her. She couldn’t even manage to wake up when she was supposed to, how would she be able to lead an entire squad? 

She paused in her route as she heard a collision from somewhere nearby. What was that? Another bang occurred, followed by angry voices. Rukia burst forward into a sprint, going towards the noises. There couldn’t be a fight going on in the seireitei could there? They didn’t see much action these days, unless some low level shinigami’s were brawling it out again. As she turned a corner, she body slammed right into another person. The person was larger than her, so they only stumbled, but she fell basically flat on her ass.

“Where are you going, carrot top?” An angry male yelled, approaching them. Rukia groaned as she pushed herself back to her feet. Footsteps scuttled to a stop in front of her.

“Holy shit man! That’s lieutenant Kuchiki from squad 13!” a youthful man’s panicked voice filled her ears. She looked up at three baffled young shinigami, all wearing a squad 6 symbol. “That’s our captain’s sister you morons!”

“We are so sorry Lieutenant Kuchiki. We were just-” 

“Disrupting the peace of the seireitei with your foolish shenanigans. Tell me, do you think this is how Captain Kuchiki would want his squad to behave?” Rukia interrupted him, crossing her arms. They all paled at the thought of what Byakuya would do to them if he ever found out.

“I-It won’t happen again! We promise!” The first man spoke up again, voice cracking with fear. 

“I expect not. Next time, I won’t leave you with a simple warning. Now go be useful somewhere!” She snapped, and the three took the opportunity to hightail it out of there. She looked after them with an annoyed look, already feeling exhausted. Honestly she didn’t understand how after going through training they could still act like such children.

“Uh.. thanks.” Rukia jumped as she heard the voice. She blinked several times, thinking she hadn’t heard correctly. That voice… sounded familiar. She remembered that she had run into someone, and based one where the three others had been standing when she got up, it couldn’t have been any of them. Rukia very slowly, turned her head in the direction of the voice. “I thought I was toast back there. They really take their route seriously.” Rukia stared with wide eyes, her heart beating violently in her chest.

He looked not that different from all those years ago. His hair was shorter and not in his face anymore, and he stood a bit taller than his youth. His body was more defined, having finally grown into a full fledged adult. His orange hair glistened in the sunlight, and his furrowed brows gave the impression of a scary face. At least some things hadn’t changed. But even so, how was this possible? After what she saw? He was….

“Ichigo?”

 

**To Be Continued....**


	2. The Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo is back, but he doesn't remember anything. Rukia had to find out why, and is interrupted by a few familiar faces.

“Um… yes?” The familiar face scrunched into confusion as he glared down at her. He actually answered to the name. So that means he really…?

No. This had to be a dream. There was no mistake. Ichigo had died. She saw it. It’s not like she dreamed the last 15 years of mourning. He had bled out. His arm was missing, his clothes were shred. They said all of those things…. There’s no possible way.

“Uh… hello? Earth to… uh... I guess lieutenant…?” The youth’s fingers snapped in front of her face, bringing her back to reality. She looked him up and down one more time.

“You are confirming that you are in fact, Ichigo Kurosaki?” Rukia inquired once more, getting a feel for what exactly she was dealing with. 

“Yes. I’m a new recruit here. I was actually told to report to lieutenant Kuchiki, I just didn’t peg her for being a small brat.” Ichigo sighed, rubbing the back of his head in exasperation. Rukia’s eyebrow twitched and she elbowed him hard in the pelvis.

“Who are you calling a brat?” She boomed, muffling his groan of pain as he doubled over. “Have some respect!” As he cursed and recomposed himself, Rukia took the time to gather her thoughts. He called her lieutenant Kuchiki, but that couldn’t be right. If he was Ichigo, he would definitely remember her. However, his looks and attitude matched perfectly to the original. Rukia looked deep inside herself, there was one more thing she could try. She focused, and let her soul energy speak to her, as she expected, her soul was tugged towards him, as if that piece of her that she gave him so long ago, still thrived inside him. A shock of pain, thrust her back and one hand clutched at her chest. This  _ was _ Ichigo.

“How is that...possible…” She murmured out loud, staring with wide eyes at him.

“How is what possible? I can’t believe you just hit me!” He growled in return, rubbing at his stomach. 

“You really have no idea who I am?” She piped up, searching his face desperately for any kind of recognition.

“You’re squad thirteen’s lieutenant right? Rukia Kuchiki?” Ichigo’s brows furrowed further together, as if his forehead was trying to such them in.

“Yes, but- I…” She took a moment to breathe, to form the words she wanted. “You don’t remember us meeting before?” Her emotions were getting overwhelmed. All those times they shared; the laughs, hardships, love, all of that was gone?

“No… I don’t.... Sorry.” He sheepishly kicked up some dust from the ground as he avoided eye contact. She scolded herself for looking so intensely, and forced her gaze elsewhere. 

“No, it’s my mistake. I’m sorry.” The words fell flatly off her tongue, and her body deflated. This was Ichigo, but at the same time, it was just a shell of him. Why didn’t he remember her?  _ “I… I love you Rukia.”   _ The words hammered like a blade swiping through her heart. 

“So anyway I did my job. Reported in. What am I supposed to do exactly?” Ichigo nonchalantly pressed on without a thought to how she felt. Well how could he. He had no idea what was really going on.

“Do you know who your section coordinator is? They are in charge of your tasks for the day.” Rukia felt her mind split into two. The one side was whirling, fighting inside her; complete chaos. The other was following the routine, used to the song and dance of business.

“No… I wasn’t given one.” Ichigo admitted.

“Go find the third seat, she has the assignments. She should be in the squad thirteen barracks doing her paperwork.” Rukia’s hand lifted and pointed as she talked, eyes finding the back of his skull as he turned to follow her finger.

“Ok, thanks!” Rukia stood still as she watched the orange hair wisp away, out of her life once again. The moment he was out of sight, she ran.

…

Rukia made her way back to her room, careful to avoid her squad mates. She had picked up her paperwork from her office, which was all she needed to complete today. There wasn’t a rule of where she had to do her work, so she planned on secluding herself. After that shock, she needed a plan. 

Her plans were quickly unraveled however, when a familiar head of orange hair greeted her at her doorstep. “Rukia!” The other woman hit her, breasts first, and gripped tightly around her smaller frame. Rukia felt fear grip her for a split second as the papers in her hands shuffled awkwardly, almost slipping away. She was bounced up and down unwillingly, arms stiff and sandwiched between their bodies.

“O-Orihime? How did you get here? No wait, why are you here?” Rukia managed to wiggle free of her old friend and tried to correct the wrinkled papers as she looked up at her, expecting a lot of answers. Ever since Ichigo’s death, the two had kept in touch, sending letters, sometimes brief visits whenever Rukia has business in town, but Orihime had never come to visit her at the soul society before. It was a big ‘no-no’ if she remembered correctly. 

“We were invited.” A monotone voice cut in, stepping up behind the hour-glass woman. Black hair contrasted white skin, and green eyes peered down at Rukia. Rukia tried not to visibly shudder as she looked at the not nearly as welcome figure of Ulquiorra Ciffer, Orihime’s husband.

“Ulqui! I told you to let me warn her first!” Orihime pouted next to him, looking up. The two had been married for ten years now, practically inseparable after Orihime made the journey back out to Hueco Mundo and resurrected him from his ashes. The process has eaten up the majority of her power, and part of her soul had been damaged because of it. Ulquiorra no longer had a lot of his abilities from when he was alive and a threat to the soul society, and these days lived his life as a human with his wife in Karakura town. In times he returned to his soul form, such as now, his arrancar hole and bone returned to mark him, making him stand out substantially in the sea of black uniforms.

“My apologies… She asked a question though.” He looked to the side, face frozen in a state of no emotion.

“Yeah… so you were invited? By who?” Rukia didn’t recall sending any kind of invitation to the duo, though she had thought about paying another visit sometime soon. The last letter they had exchanged was over a month ago.

“Renji.” Orihime grinned. Rukia should have known. Renji had noticed her wedding belle blues and probably thought smuggling her maid of honor into the mix would get her more excited about the upcoming nuptials.   
“Don’t tell me. He wants you to help me pick out a dress?” Rukia guessed, holding back the anger in her voice.

Orihime nodded enthusiastically, clapping her hands together. “He said somebody has been avoiding THE dress. So I thought I’d come down and give you some tips, and Renji agreed wholeheartedly. Ulquiorra wanted to come too. He actually had a very nice taste for clothes.” Orihime enlightened her further on the situation. Rukia watched her grip as she heard the incriminating wrinkle of paper, taking another breath. Just breathe.

“How…  _ sweet _ … of him.” She put pained emphasis on “sweet” as she tried to compose herself. 

“I see someone has found their surprise!” chimed the culprit as he approached from Rukia’s backside. 

“Darling!” Rukia sang sickeningly sweet as she turned and gripped Renji by the ear, avoiding his impending hug. She tugged harshly on the lobe as she smiled, looking at his face. “Why didn’t you tell me my dear friend Orihime was coming up? You know how I just adore surprises.” She continued, giving a sharp pull every few words. Renji tried to keep his own smile at the rough treatment, putting his hands up in surrender.

“Sorry, sorry, I should have told you! Please let go!” He chuckled half heartedly until Rukia released him. 

“Nevermind that. There’s something I need to discuss with you in private.” Rukia went on, looking up at Renji. Renji opened his mouth to respond, but paused as his eyes flickered back to Orihime and Ulquiorra. Rukia follows his gaze and swallowed nervously, almost forgetting they were there. “Um…”

“You know, I was just thinking that I haven’t seen Rangiku in so long! I should go pay her a visit. Why don’t you two talk while we do that, and we can meet up for dinner later and discuss what to do about the dress?” Orihime suggested, not at all offended by the exchange.

“That sounds great Orihime.” Rukia let out a breath of relief as she returned her friend’s smile. Orihime let out a musical giggle and took Ulquiorra by the hand. 

“Alright! I will see you two later!” She waved as she lead her husband away. Rukia watched after them a moment. Orihime continued chatting to the stoic figure, his responses either nonexistent or in the small form of gestures. They really did make quite a pair.

“I think I already know what this is about. It’s actually why I came over here.” Renji interrupted and the tone suddenly drifted back to something more serious.

“So you know?” It was a simple question, and it required a simple response. 

“Yeah. I was informed not that long ago. Ichigo is back.” Renji was looking at her intensely, as if waiting for her next move.

“But how is that possible? I saw him die Renji. That was no illusion. Everything that happened that night, it was real. And more then that, he doesn’t know who I am.” Rukia expressed her concerns honestly, there was no point in hiding how she felt. She was hurt, confused. She didn’t understand what was happening.

“I asked around in the higher ups for some answers, and I found out a lot actually. That is Ichigo.” Renji started.

“That I know without a doubt.” Rukia affirmed, remembering her soul screaming from inside his body.

“The idea, if what I was told is correct, is that he has no memories from when he was alive. He died as a human right?” Renji explained, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Yes. He didn’t have time to change when the attack happened.” Rukia closed her eyes as the memories returned, drowning them out with the hum of the world around her. Focus.

“When Ichigo died, he was separated forcibly from his human body, which jarred his memories. If you think about it, it’s quite possible that all the shinigami here were human once, but we also have no memories of being alive. Ichigo was a special case, and after a few exercises he was put through, he displayed that he somehow had traces of his human self still left in his psyche. In other words-”

“He has his memories, but he can’t access them.” Rukia summarized, hand cupping her chin thoughtfully. That did make sense. If all of Ichigo’s memories were regressed, then he wouldn’t know who she was, but he could still act like the same person. “Does he know?” 

“Nobody has told him yet, they aren’t sure what damage it will do to him when he finds out. Or if he will even believe us. But… he has to be somewhat conscious of what’s happening to him.” Renji detailed.

“How do you know that?”

“The exercises, he remembered he had at least one sister, but in his soul life, he has no siblings. He has to realize these memories clash his reality. He’s going to ask questions.” Renji warned her.

“So tell him. Let him make the decision if he wants to know or not.” Rukia felt a sudden surge of anger. Everyone was dancing around the issue. Everyone here knew who he was. It wasn’t like it was a secret. He had been their savior, their strength. Not enough people knew what was going on, someone was going to let it slip anyway. Why shouldn’t he know?”

“We can’t. We don’t know what it could do to his mind.” Renji’s tone was thick, ominous. “Rukia… I want you to stay away from him.” 

“And why is that Renji?” Rukia snapped, already rejecting the idea. She wanted to get to the bottom of this. If anything, she wanted him to remember her again. It was possible to reform a relationship, wasn’t there. She could do something for him. She was loyal to him first out of anyone. And it dawned on her. Renji was afraid of her being with Ichigo. He was afraid it would threaten their relationship now. “Are you seriously that threatened by him?” The accusation was blunt and Renji seemed shocked by it.

“No… just worried.” He admitted, fists closing tightly.

“I’m not going to stay away from him. He was my friend, he IS my friend. Even if he doesn’t remember me, I remember enough for the both of us.” Rukia looked away, thumbs caressing the paper in her grasp.

“I’m sorry… you’re right. That was unfair.” He relented, shoulders slacking. “Just tell me one thing Rukia, if you plan to do this.” Renji reached forward, firm hand gripping her shoulder. Purple eyes skimmed back to the rugged face. “What happened all those years ago? Exactly?” Rukia had told the bare minimum of that night. No one knew about the love confession, no one knew anything beyond the details on how Ichigo died. As far as everyone was concerned it was a hollow situation gone awry. She had kept it that way for a reason.

“What happened, Renji, was I lost someone very dear to me. Someone that can never be replaced in my heart. That is what happened.” She honestly conveyed, retreating from his touch. “Now I have a lot of paperwork to do before we have dinner with Orihime. I’ll see you later.” Without another word, Rukia withdrew into her chambers, the door clicking shut without resistance.

 

**To Be Continued….**


End file.
